Sanitary installation

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a sanitary installation, such as in particular a flush toilet, a urinal or a bidet with a sanitary bowl, comprising a sanitary unit and a flush water delivery device, which is suitable for generating at least one circular flow in the sanitary bowl, and a siphon with a siphon opening, through which sewage can be fed to an outflow pipe, wherein the siphon opening is arranged asymmetrically, in particular eccentrically, relative to an imaginary centre line, which extends essentially centrally from a front end of the sanitary unit facing a user during the flushing operation to an opposite essentially central rear end of the sanitary unit.

The invention relates to a sanitary installation, such as in particular a flush toilet, a urinal or a bidet, according to the preamble of claim 1.

Sanitary installations, such as flush toilets, urinals or bidets, have for some considerable time been objects which find use in toilets, bathrooms, in short in the sanitary area. Such sanitary installations usually have a water inflow and a water outflow, which in each case is arranged centrally relative to a longitudinal axis of the sanitary installation in a standardised manner. The longitudinal axis or the centre line of the sanitary installation extends centrally from a front side of the sanitary installation, i.e. the side of the sanitary installation which is facing a user, in the direction of the central opposite side, i.e. the rear side of the sanitary installation, with which the sanitary installation is usually fastened to a wall or which, for example in the case of a floor-standing sanitary installation, is usually facing a wall.

Such a central arrangement of the water inflow and water outflow is present especially in the case of traditional conventional toilets, which are equipped with a flushing rim, along which flush water flows in the course of the flushing process. With this conventional flush water flow, the flush water is usually split up into two flush water flows running symmetrically in opposite directions, which both flow from a common flush water delivery device respectively on both sides, i.e. in opposite directions tangentially in the direction of a front side of the respective sanitary installation, and meet there and are thus deflected in the direction of a siphon. As a result of the meeting of the two flush water flows running in opposite directions, the flush flow resulting when the two flush flows meet acquires a flow component directed forcefully backwards in the direction of the siphon, by means of which a residue present in the sanitary bowl is conveyed in the direction of the siphon and through its opening in the direction of the outflow pipe and then into the sewage pipe. Such a flush device comprising two flush flows is sometimes also assisted by a third flush flow, which is directed from the flush water delivery device directly in the direction of the siphon.

Such a traditional flush device can now only be used to a limited extent in modern, so-called “rimless” sanitary installations, such as in particular toilets, since the two flush water flows running in opposite directions would, without additional measures, run over the upper boundary of the sanitary installation in the case of such “rimless” sanitary installations on account of the absence of the flush water rim. Since this is undesirable, new flushing technologies have been developed in the past, which are no longer based on a symmetrical water inflow relative to a centre line with two flush water flows in opposite directions, but on a so-called vortex flush, wherein water is introduced tangentially into the sanitary bowl and spins downwards in the direction of the siphon in the latter, following the force of gravity. Such a vortex flush has the advantage that so-called “rimless” sanitary installations no longer necessarily “over-flush”, but they do have the drawback that the flush water spinning in the sanitary bowl, on account of the long path covered in the sanitary bowl, rapidly loses flushing force and is therefore no longer capable of fully disposing of the residues through the siphon, or through the siphon opening. In addition to this disadvantageous effect of such a vortex flush, there is the further unfavourable effect that the flush water spinning in the sanitary bowl, depending on the geometry of the sanitary bowl, the amount of flush water and pressure at which the flush water is released into the sanitary bowl, enters into the siphon at a different angle, and at all events not directed backwards in the direction of the outflow pipe, and can therefore scarcely contribute to disposing of residues located in the sanitary bowl.

In order to eliminate at least to some extent these drawbacks of a vortex flush, complicated measures have in the past been taken to direct the flush water spinning in the sanitary bowl into a centrally flowing backwards direction, in order thus to again bring about an effective flushing of the sanitary bowl. Such a centrally and backwards directed diversion of the flush water spinning in the sanitary bowl leads however, on account of the newly imposed change in direction of the flush water, to a further loss of pressure, which further reduces the flushing effect of the flush water. This shortcoming has been at least partially eliminated in the past by various additional measures, which include for example the addition of a so-called “jet flow”, wherein water is introduced into the siphon at a high flow rate directed directly backwards in the direction of the siphon opening. Further measures relate, amongst other things, to complex changes in the design and the geometry of the sanitary installation, in particular in the siphon region, with which a jet-like accelerated flush water flow directed centrally backwards into and through the siphon was achieved. Such a change in the geometry of the siphon region can be found for example in WO 2016/143029 A1, for example in FIG. 2 there. The siphon is narrowed there in a step-like manner, which is intended to contribute to an increase in the flow rate.

These previous attempts at improving the flushing efficiency of flush water spinning in a sanitary bowl, taken as a whole, have proved to be time-consuming and cost-intensive on account of the sometimes complex and laborious measures taken, wherein unattractive effects on the design of the sanitary installation were often also to be observed as a further unfavourable effect.

The problem underlying the invention is to provide a sanitary installation with an efficient flushing system, which avoids the aforementioned problems and is capable of completely, easily and quickly removing residues present in the sanitary bowl.

This problem is solved by a sanitary installation according to claim 1.

In particular, this problem is solved by a sanitary installation, such as in particular a flush toilet, a urinal or a bidet, with a sanitary unit comprising a sanitary bowl and a flush water delivery device, which is suitable for generating at least one circular flow in the sanitary bowl, and a siphon with a siphon opening, through which sewage can be fed to an outflow pipe, wherein the siphon opening is arranged asymmetrically, in particular eccentrically, relative to an imaginary centre line, which extends essentially centrally from a front end of the sanitary unit facing a user during the flushing operation to an opposite essentially central rear end of the sanitary unit.

A further point to the invention lies in the fact that the sanitary installation according to the invention comprises a siphon opening, which is arranged asymmetrically relative to the centre line extending centrally or in the middle from the front to the rear in relation to the sanitary installation, i.e. not centrally in the middle relative to the centre line and therefore in particular eccentrically relative to the centre line.

According to the invention, therefore, it is thus advantageously possible to arrange the siphon opening in the sanitary installation according to the invention in such a way that the siphon opening is orientated relative to the flush water flowing into the latter in such a way that the flush water can flow with its entire impetus and therefore its entire flushing force directly and immediately into the siphon opening and thus disposes of the residues present in the sanitary bowl completely and free from residue through the siphon opening in the direction of the outflow pipe and then the drainage pipe.

As a result of the asymmetrical, in particular eccentric arrangement of the siphon opening, the latter can be adapted in each case to the given geometry of the sanitary installation, in such a way that the flush water, despite its spinning movement in the sanitary bowl, is directed without any necessary deflection into the siphon opening, so that the full impetus and therefore the full flushing capacity of the flush water is utilised in order to remove residues from the sanitary bowl. In particular, a particularly disadvantageous deflection of the flush water spinning in the sanitary bowl that is directed centrally backwards can thus be avoided according to the invention.

An important advantage of the invention also consists in the fact that the respective arrangement of the siphon opening and the respective geometry of the sanitary installation, or the sanitary bowl, can be adapted to one another in such a way that an optimum circulating flush in the sanitary bowl and an optimum flush out of the sanitary bowl into the siphon opening is possible. Both the flush water inflow and also the flush water outflow can thus be adapted in the optimum manner to the geometry of the sanitary bowl, which hitherto was not possible with conventional toilets with a siphon arranged centrally in the middle and a siphon opening also arranged centrally in the middle.

According to the invention, the siphon opening has a cross-section which is round, oval and/or formed from at least two combined circle segments and/or linear segments. The siphon opening of the sanitary installation according to the invention can thus be adapted in the optimum manner to the geometry of the flush water moving in a circular manner in the sanitary bowl, wherein in particular an adaptation of the geometry of the siphon opening to the number of flush water flows, or to the form of the flow of flush water flows combined together is also possible. Thus, for example, it is possible to design the siphon opening, with the aid of the combined circle segments, more or less in the form of a triangle or otherwise polygonal, wherein the lateral boundaries of the “triangle” or “polygon” are not constituted as straight lines according to the invention, but rather as circle segments, in order to achieve an optimum adaptation to the flow geometry of the flush water flow. The radius of the circle segments lies in the range from 0.05 cm to 10,000 cm, preferably in the range from 0.2 cm to 400 cm and particularly preferably in the range from 0.3 cm to 100 cm. According to the invention, it is also possible to form the cross-section of the siphon opening with linearly running and/or rectangular segments, optionally in combination with curved and/or round segments, or to select a siphon opening with a round cross-section or with an oval cross-section, wherein the optimum cross-section geometry of the siphon opening can be selected according to the invention depending on the shape of the sanitary bowl and depending on the flush water flow(s).

Depending on the selection of the cross-section geometry of the siphon opening, the cross-section of the siphon opening has a longest extension, in particular axis. According to the invention, this longest extension and/or axis of the siphon opening is aligned essentially parallel or alternatively essentially perpendicular to the at least one circular flow flowing into the siphon opening. According to the invention, the siphon opening can thus be designed such that the flush flow that reaches the siphon opening enters into the siphon opening in the optimum manner and without undesired turbulence and a loss of pressure possibly accompanying the latter, so that the maximum flushing force of the flush flow can be utilised according to the invention.

According to the invention, the longest extension of the siphon opening lies in the range from 20 mm to 120 mm, preferably in the range from 30 mm to 100 mm and particularly preferably in the range from 45 mm to 85 mm, wherein a ratio of the longest extension extending over the cross-section of the siphon opening to a maximum shortest extension extending over the cross-section of the siphon opening lies in the range from 1:1 to 1:10, preferably in the range from 1:1 to 1:5.

According to the invention, the siphon opening is adjoined by an at least double-bend outflow pipe, which can be connected fluid-tight to the siphon, in particular to the siphon opening, or is permanently connected to the siphon, in particular to the siphon opening.

Advantageously, an outflow pipe at least double-bent in this way is optimally suited for connecting the sanitary installation according to the invention to conventional drainage pipes present in a building. The sanitary installation according to the invention can thus be positioned in a conventional manner in a bathroom or a toilet, without the sanitary installation according to the invention having to be fitted offset relative to the fixedly installed drainage pipe on account of its siphon opening arranged asymmetrically relative to the centre line. According to the invention, the at least double-bend outflow pipe is designed such that the eccentric arrangement of the siphon opening relative to the drainage pipe is compensated for by the bent outflow pipe. For this purpose, the outflow pipe on the one hand has a cross-section corresponding to the cross-section of the siphon opening and on the other hand a round cross-section, so that the outflow pipe can be connected on the one hand to the siphon, or the siphon opening, and on the other hand to the round drainage pipe installed on the building side. Furthermore, the outflow pipe has a rounded inner surface without any corners or edges, in order to ensure an outflow of the flush water that is as frictionless and unhindered as possible through the outflow pipe into the drainage pipe.

Furthermore, the sanitary bowl and the siphon according to an embodiment of the invention are constituted in one piece and form the sanitary unit, to which the outflow pipe can be attached fluid-tight. The outflow pipe can if desired be produced from ceramics, but also from plastic or another material. This embodiment of the invention enables a high variability with regard to the installation position of the sanitary installation according to the invention, since the outflow pipe according to this embodiment can be selected and/or adapted individually and can be installed between the siphon opening and the drainage pipe. With regard to the differing material selection for the outflow pipe that is possible according to this embodiment, design aspects can also optionally be created, such as for example a specific selection of colour and/or surface structure of the external surface of the outflow pipe.

According to a further, alternative embodiment of the invention, the sanitary bowl, the siphon and the outflow pipe can also be constituted in one piece and form the sanitary unit (30). This embodiment of the invention enables the production the sanitary installation according to the invention in one piece, wherein the outflow pipe is preferably attached to the sanitary bowl, or the siphon, before firing of the sanitary installation which is usually produced from ceramics, so that, after the firing, the outflow pipe is attached firmly to the siphon opening in a seamlessly homogeneous manner.

Furthermore, it should be emphasised at this point that the sanitary installation according to the invention, whilst preferably being produced from ceramics, can however also be produced according to the invention from plastic, glass and/or metal and mixtures thereof, such as for example filled plastic comprising cast mineral or suchlike combination materials. Furthermore, it should be pointed out at this point that the above explanations concerning the sanitary ceramics according to the invention chiefly relate to flush toilets, but this is to be understood only by way of example and the invention similarly relates to all sanitary installations which have a water outflow, via which water that has been introduced into the sanitary bowl is conveyed onward via the outflow pipe to a drainage pipe. In particular, therefore, flush toilets as well urinals and bidets and optionally wash-bowls and bath-tubs are to be understood at this point.

To sum up, the features of the sanitary installation according to the invention can be stated as follows:

According to the invention, a sanitary installation is made available, which comprises a siphon opening which is arranged asymmetrically and in particular eccentrically relative to a centre line. The siphon opening, through which sewage possibly containing residues is conveyed through an outflow pipe to a drainage pipe, has a cross-section which is composed either round, oval or out of at least two circle segments and is formed and aligned in such a way that outflowing water can flow directly and essentially linearly or tangentially into the siphon opening. It should further be pointed out that the siphon opening does not have to have a constant diameter and does not have to be symmetrical, so that for example a teardrop-shaped cross-section is also conceivable.

The outflow pipe, as previously mentioned, is constituted bent and adapted in such a way that sewage from the siphon opening can be conveyed to a drainage pipe, which is usually arranged in the axis of the aforementioned centre line. Moreover, the drainage pipe should have as large a diameter as possible and should have radii as large as possible in its bend region or its bend regions, in order thereby to prevent any turbulence which could hinder the undisturbed outflow of the sewage and any residues present therein.

The outflow pipe is preferably constituted in one piece together with the toilet unit. According to a less preferred embodiment, the outflow pipe can however also be constituted as an independent separately produced ceramic part, which is attached to the toilet unit before firing and is then fired with the latter, so that an appropriate sanitary installation according to the invention is formed. As an alternative to this, the outflow pipe can also be produced for example from plastic, which can be attached in a fluid-tight manner to the remaining toilet unit, wherein an independent sealing system may perhaps be useful.

The invention brings with it substantial improvements, which are primarily based on the fact that, on account of the asymmetric and/or eccentric design of the siphon opening, the best possible utilisation of the flushing capacity of the flush water is possible, since the flush water does not have to be deflected, as previously, in order to arrive at an optimum angle in the siphon, or in the siphon opening. The sanitary installation according to the invention is thus suited in the optimum manner for use with flush water spinning in the sanitary bowl. Moreover, since no additional measures and geometrical adaptations of the sanitary installation are required according to the invention, in order to deflect the flush water flow in the direction of the siphon opening, the sanitary installation according to the invention can be designed smaller and more aesthetically and therefore automatically in a less complicated and expensive manner.

The invention can thus be used in all toilets and urinals and other sanitary installations, which are produced from ceramic material or from non-ceramic material, in which a centrally arranged siphon opening is not practical for the aforementioned reasons. Furthermore, it should be pointed out that the invention is of course suitable both for floor-standing as well as wall-mounted sanitary installations.

Further embodiments of the invention emerge from the sub-claims.

The invention is described below on the basis of an example of embodiment, which is explained in greater detail with the aid of the illustrations. In the figures:

FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic representation of an embodiment of the sanitary installation according to the invention in a cross-sectional view from above; and

FIG. 2 shows a diagrammatic representation of the embodiment of the sanitary installation according to the invention shown in FIG. 1, from below.

The same reference numbers are used for identical or identically acting parts in the following description.

FIG. 1 shows a sanitary installation 10 according to the invention, which comprises a sanitary unit 30 comprising a sanitary bowl 20 and a flush water delivery device 35, from which flush water can be introduced into sanitary bowl 20 and flows in sanitary bowl 20 in the form of a circular flow 15. According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the flush water flows from flush water delivery device 35 in two flows circulating in opposite directions, which meet and, as a result, flow in the direction of a siphon 40 adjoining sanitary bowl 20, which siphon comprises a siphon opening 45. Siphon opening 45 is formed from two circle segments and has an approximately oval cross-sectional shape, which however ends in a tip at its respective opposite ends. Siphon opening 45 is arranged asymmetrically and eccentrically relative to a centre line 50 of sanitary installation 10 according to the invention and is aligned such that the flush water of the two flows circulating in opposite directions can flow, after they meet, immediately and directly into siphon opening 45. As can also be seen from FIG. 1 and from FIG. 2, siphon opening 45 is connected in one piece with an outflow pipe 80, which at the siphon opening side has the same cross-section as siphon opening 45 itself. Outflow pipe 80 extends here from siphon opening 45 in the direction of a drainage pipe, which is not represented, but which is located at rear end 70 of sanitary installation 10 according to the invention. Rear end 70 of sanitary installation 10 according to the invention is located in turn opposite front end 60 of sanitary installation 10, which is facing a user when use is made of sanitary installation 10 in the intended manner. Centre line 50 extends in turn centrally from front end 60 of sanitary installation 10 to rear end 70 of sanitary installation 10. Furthermore, outflow pipe 80 used according to the invention is provided with a double bend, which makes it possible with the aid thereof for the sanitary installation according to the invention to be connected to a standard drainage pipe of a building. The bend of outflow pipe 80 thus compensates, in an inventive way, for the eccentric arrangement of the siphon opening, in such a way that the sanitary installation according to the invention can be connected to a standard house installation in the usual way like previously known sanitary installations.

At this point, it should be mentioned that all the parts described above, viewed alone or in any combination, in particular the details represented in the drawings, are claimed as being essential for the invention. Modifications thereto are familiar to the person skilled in the art.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10 sanitary installation

15 circular flow

20 sanitary bowl

30 sanitary unit

35 flush water delivery device

40 siphon

45 siphon opening

50 centre line

60 front end

70 rear end

80 outflow pipe 

1. A sanitary installation, such as in particular a flush toilet, a urinal or a bidet, with a sanitary unit comprising a sanitary bowl and a flush water delivery device, which is suitable for generating at least one circular flow in the sanitary bowl, and a siphon with a siphon opening, through which sewage can be fed to an outflow pipe, wherein the siphon opening is arranged asymmetrically, in particular eccentrically, relative to an imaginary centre line, which extends essentially centrally from a front end of the sanitary unit facing a user during the flushing operation to an opposite essentially central rear end of the sanitary unit.
 2. The sanitary installation according to claim 1, wherein the siphon opening has a cross-section which is round, oval and/or formed from at least two combined circle segments and/or linear segments.
 3. The sanitary installation according to claim 1, wherein the cross-section of the siphon opening has a longest extension, in particular axis, which is aligned essentially parallel or essentially perpendicular to the at least one circular flow flowing into the siphon opening.
 4. The sanitary installation according to claim 3, wherein the longest extension of the siphon opening lies in the range from 20 mm to 120 mm, preferably in the range from 30 mm to 100 mm and particularly preferably in the range from 45 mm to 85 mm.
 5. The sanitary installation according to claim 3, wherein a ratio of the longest extension extending over the cross-section of the siphon opening to a maximum shortest extension extending over the cross-section of the siphon opening lies in the range from 1:1 to 1:10, preferably in the range from 1:1 to 1:5.
 6. The sanitary installation according to claim 1, wherein the siphon opening is adjoined by an arc-shaped and/or inclined and/or at least single-bend, in particular double-bend, outflow pipe, which can be connected fluid-tight to the siphon, in particular to the siphon opening, or is permanently connected to the siphon, in particular to the siphon opening.
 7. The sanitary installation according to claim 1, wherein the outflow pipe has a rounded inner surface.
 8. The sanitary installation according to claim 2, wherein the outflow pipe on the one hand has a cross-section corresponding to the cross-section of the siphon opening and on the other hand a round cross-section.
 9. The sanitary installation according to claim 1, wherein the sanitary bowl and the siphon are constituted in one piece and form the sanitary unit, wherein the outflow pipe is constituted so that it can be attached to the sanitary unit.
 10. The sanitary installation according to claim 1, wherein the sanitary bowl, the siphon and the outflow pipe are constituted in one piece and form the sanitary unit. 